The King's Tutor
by WalkingIvy
Summary: Touma&Seiji. He wasn't a King, not really. They only called him that because of his skill in martial arts.  And Touma was perhaps the only one who wasn't enthralled.  It just figures that he'd have to become the King's tutor.  Shuu/Shin, Ryo/Nasutei
1. Touma

The King's Tutor

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors or anything, really. My cats are their own free spirits. Besides myself. I'm not making any money off of this, you can tell by the fact that I'm... writing fanfiction. I'm sure I'd have more of a life if I weren't flat broke. So don't bother suing, you won't get a cent from me. Unless it's my two cents. I seem to have a quite a bit of those.

Rating: M (in future chapters)

Summary: If you've read any of my other stuff and examine the title closely, I think it's abundantly apparent where I'm going with this. Must love Seiji to enjoy this story, but they all get plenty of stardom in this ficcy.

.o0o.

Touma's family had always been below poverty level. His father, while technically employed by a college, barely had enough to scrape by on his own, make no mention of his fifteen year old son. He only taught one class so he could devote most of his time to research, a research that the school refused to endorse as not cost effective. So since the time his mother had left them, when Touma had not yet even turned eight, to pursue a journalist career, Touma had been making his own way. His father paid for their one bedroom apartment and occaisisionally crashed on the couch when he wasn't able to pull anymore all nighters at his lab. Other than that, he wasn't around much for Touma. Touma didn't begrudge him his life's dream, he just wished he'd spend more time at home. With his son.

It wasn't like Touma's life was that difficult. His best friend, Shuu, invited him over on a daily basis and always made sure to feed him. Shuu's mother had basically adopted him a long time ago. He got all of Shuu's hand-me-downs because his little brother was still much too small for them. Touma was too small for them as well, too slender for their wider cut, but he'd long since learned how to pull them in.

Shin had taught him that, along with most of his home economics skills. Shin was Shuu's love interest. Not that Shuu had any intention of putting the moves on him. Touma and Shuu had been trying to figure out if he was even interested in men since they'd met him three years ago. It was hard to tell how much of his effeminate clothing and gestures had to do with being raised by his mother and sister and how much was just Shin. And Shuu absolutely refused to breathe a word until he was at least somewhat sure of Shin's inclinations. Shin loved to cook and frequently brought extra for Touma and Shuu.

But it was Ryo that Touma had actually known the longest. His mother used to take him over there on play dates since before he could remember. It was kind gestures like that that made Touma believe that maybe... maybe she hadn't meant to leave forever. That maybe she had meant to come back, or even write a letter. He didn't remember much of what happened when she left, but she hadn't ever seemed like a bad mother to him. Until she left, that is.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Touma was startled from his thoughts by the shrill banshee that called itself a smoke detector. Crap. He must have hit a wrong button. Ryo's grandmother had hired him at her factory so he could make some extra money for things his dad couldn't cover. Like school supplies. She was pretty well off and he had a suspicion that his wages were substantially higher than his coworkers because even though he could only fit in a few hours a week, he managed to keep the bills paid and have enough left over for a night out every once in a while. And with Ryo teaching him martial arts on the weekends and Shuu playing video games with him on the weeknights, Touma almost felt like a normal kid. Almost.

"Just leave it! Growled Tatsuya, an older coworker who was slightly resentful of Touma's lax hours. "I'll fix it. You better get going or you'll be late for school."

"Thanks!" Touma smiled helplessly at the handyman and ran from the building, stopping briefly to wave to a friend. He wasn't sure where the time had gone as he raced down the street. He arrived at Shuu's family restaurant completely out of breath. Shuu was waiting outside, kicking at a rock.

"'Bout time!" He huffed and started walking towards school. "You know how Ms. Ichinou gets when we're late."

Touma just smiled. It was nice to be in one of Shuu's classes, even if it was too easy for Touma. All of the classes were too easy for him, so he might as well take them with his friends. "Sorry. I was too busy destroying more property."

Shuu made a face. "Just think how much she'd pay you if you didn't break everything." Touma had shared his thoughts to Shuu about his wages late one evening. Shuu told him not to worry about it.

"She wouldn't do it if she couldn't afford it." He'd said, shrugging. "And whether you admit it or not, you need the money. How else are you supposed to pay the school's tuition?"

Touma had nodded, just as he was doing now. He hated all this worrying about money all the time.

As if reading his mind, Shuu slapped him on the back and changed the topic. "So did you hear about the King?" The pair crossed the courtyard and headed up the stone steps to the prison-like building called Han A High.

"Not you, too! Ryo's been going on about it all week." Touma caught his mistake just a few seconds too late. Shuu didn't like Ryo. There were only a few people that he couldn't stand and Ryo was one of them. If Touma were honest, he knew the reasons. Touma spent too much time with Ryo and not enough time with his best friend. And more importantly, while Shuu had managed to make friends with almost everyone in the school within two months of his freshman year, the one he wanted to talk to most was Ryo's only friend besides Touma. Shin. Touma tried to backtrack. "Yeah, he's apparently as dumb as a rock."

"Why do you hang out with that jerk?"

"Ryo?" Touma knew the answer. "He's not a jerk." The bell rang, saving them from another awkward conversation. "We better get going."

.o0o.


	2. Touma learns about the King

.o0o.

"He's not as dumb as a rock." Shuu clarified as he gathered his books, picking up the conversation where they'd left it upon entering the classroom. He and Touma had silently agreed to not mention Ryo. Touma found it ironic that while Shuu and Ryo were very similar in personality with similar interests, they absolutely could not stand each other. They were both extremely loyal to their friends, felt Chinese food was superior to Japanese, loved martial arts, hated math class... the list went on and on. But what struck Touma now was that they both completely adored the King.

"He did bomb every exam they gave him."

Shuu made a face. "That's not true!"

"Right. He passed the physical exam with flying colors." The pair walked down the hall together, it was out of Touma's way to accompany Shuu, but he liked to stretch out these moments they had together. "So, he's what? Physically smart?"

"You're impossible. Just because he doesn't have the education doesn't mean he's not capable of learning." Sometimes, Shuu amazed him. "And that's not what I was going to tell you about. He's coming to Han A High!"

Ryo hadn't mentioned that. This information must have been released this morning. Touma looked at Shuu's thrilled and expectant face and had to smile, but he floundered for words. "That's cool."

"That's not just cool, Touma." corrected Shuu. "That's awesome!"

"I don't see what the big deal is. He lives in town."

"You don't get it. You can't talk to the King. You can hardly see him outside of tournaments. He's always doing some advanced training some place that no one knows about. Now, we're going to see him like every day."

Touma knew this. Ryo had told him often enough, "He's always away training. Hardly anyone ever even sees the guy. And does it ever pay off! He's placed in every competition he's ever been in, including a wide spread of martial arts forms and put a sword in his hands and he's guaranteed to win. He's only fifteen, same as us, and yet he's won the last three world kendo tournaments on the adult level."

So Touma told Shuu the same thing he'd always told Ryo. "You sound like a fangirl."

"So what if I get excited about this? You hardly get excited about anything. You like martial arts well enough, what've you got against this guy?"

'Same thing you've got against Ryo.' Touma thought. 'He monopolizes the time of friends that you hold dear to you.' But Touma didn't voice his thoughts. It was hard enough being jealous of a world champion, but he wasn't even jealous of the King's skill at martial arts. Touma dreaded the arrival of the King because it would mark the day that his only friends abandon him. "Nothing. When's he supposed to come here?"

"Tomorrow."

Touma fought the urge to punch the wall and forced his face into a smile. If Shuu noticed how painful this was for him, he didn't comment. "Wow. That's... quick."

"Yeah, well..." Shuu stopped and looked around them to see if anyone was listening. He lowered his voice so that Touma had to lean in to hear. "Apparently, social services required it. The King's family got pressured into taking that survey of althletic performers' intelligences. When the King failed every one, social services started to question whether his family had actually been upholding their homeschooling duties. They've asked for the King to be enrolled full time in a local high school for the remainder of the schoolyear. If he passes all of his courses, he can continue with his homeschooling and the world is non the wiser. But if he fails, he will be put into foster care until the parents are deemed good guardians."

Touma looked a little skeptical. "Where'd you hear this? The tabloids?"

"Well, you know that while my mom runs the family restaurant, my dad works at social services, right?" Touma vaguely recalled this. Shuu might have mentioned it briefly, but the restaurant took up so much of their lives that he often forgot there was more to Shuu's family. "He was the one assigned to their case."

"Isn't this information confidential?"

"Technically, yes. Which is why you can't tell anyone. But dad thinks that things are going to be really hard on the King for a while and he'll need a good, reliable friend at this school." Shuu puffed up his chest and Touma took that to mean that Shuu would be acting as the good friend.

Touma rolled his eyes. "While that's pretty cool, I'm pretty sure you broke confidentiallity again to tell me."

"Technically, yes." Shuu repeated, completely unperturbed by this fact. "But you'd have found this out soon anyway." The bell resounded and Shuu turned into the next classroom, leaving his last comment unexplained.

.o0o.

AN: Wow! I got a review. I like that even after all these years, people are still reading fanficiton about Ronin Warriors. More reviews please! I love hearing that people are actually appreciating my work.^^ This time, I'll shoot for two reviews!


	3. Touma and Ryo

.o0o.

Apparently this knowledge was confidential because Ryo didn't know it either. Touma could tell that immediately upon walking into the classroom that Ryo had no idea that the King was even entering their high school. He was two minutes late due to Shuu's distractions and he shuffled in quietly, earning a glare from their teacher, and sat himself down beside Ryo.

Ryo gave him a wink and shifted his book so Touma could see the correct page to open to. It was a good thing, too, because the teacher immediately called upon him to answer the next question.

The pair did their normal routine which involved paying as little attention as possible, shifting a piece of paper into view of the other and holding silent conversations with scribbled words. Touma debated whether he should tell Ryo about the King's arrival. He, of course, couldn't give away the information that was confidential but Ryo would kill him when he found out that Touma knew and didn't breathe a word. Touma decided that that didn't matter. He would savor the time that Ryo would be just his friend and pretend to look surprised when the King showed up tomorrow. That should work.

'I think the teacher's going to kill you if you're late again.' Ryo had turned his paper so Touma could easily read the deep blue ink.

'Sorry. Shuu.' Ryo seemed to have nothing against Shuu, despite Shuu's slightly hostile attitude. He had difficulty making friends and really couldn't fathom why Shuu didn't like him. Of course, Ryo also didn't seem to pick up on most of the negative air that passed between them.

'Ah. Going to see Nasutei tonight. :) '

Nasutei was a local college freshman who was working on her History degree. They'd met when Ryo went to tour the school and hit it off due to their mutual interest in ancient legends. While Ryo was immediately enthralled, it was difficult to tell how Nasutei felt about him. 'Again? That's the second time this week. You said no more than once a week.'

'I know, but she said she has something important she needs to tell me.'

Touma wasn't sure if he should congratulate him or apologize. It was clear that Nasutei had picked up on Ryo's feelings; he wasn't the most subtle person in the world. But would she share his affection? And, even if she did, would her high social status allow her to date someone of Ryo's status? Would her parents permit it? Touma delayed until Ryo wrote again.

'I'm kind of nervous.'

'It'll be fine.' Now Touma wished he could bring up the King and change the topic. He took his time responding, pretending to pay closer attention than he was. 'She's liked you well enough to keep inviting you over.'

'To do research.'

'I thought you liked doing research.'

'I do... but I like spending time with her, too.'

'There's no use worrying over it now.'

Touma blessed the bell for ringing right then and quickly packed up his things. Relationships weren't his strong suit. He'd never really liked that many people before and none of them in the way Ryo would swoon over Nasutei's mere presence. He wished Ryo would talk to Shin about these questions. Shin was good at these things. Shin knew people in a way that baffled Touma. Shin would understand. "I've got to get to my next class early to talk to the teacher," Touma fibbed. "You've got next class with Shin, right? Why don't you talk to him about this?"

Touma smiled and slipped from the classroom quickly, practically running toward his next class. Why did people have to be so complicated?

.o0o.

A/N: Yay! I met my goal. Maybe this time I'll try for three reviews? No, no, I don't want to be greedy.

I know it's pretty short, but you really shouldn't complain because I'm updating every few days. Anyway, keep the reviews coming, they're great for my motivation!

Yawen: I updated for you and you didn't even review! What's with that? Unfortunately, it may be a chapter or two more before we get to see Seiji... .

Life the Fay: So pleased that you like it. It's amazing that people are still reading Ronin Warriors stuff... Please get back into writing. It's so hard to find good Seiji&Touma stuff.

Matrix Taylor: Thank you! Keep reading!

Stardust 2001: I'll put your story on my story alert and read it once you've had a chance to do some editing. Despair not!


	4. Touma is blackmailed

.o0o.

As it turned out, Touma hadn't been fibbing. The teacher really did want to speak with him. "Oh, Touma, I'm glad you came in a little early. I was actually meaning to speak with you."

"Oh? What about?" Touma responded hesitantly.

"Well, I probably shouldn't say this, but..." Mr. Watanabe, advanced mathmatics teacher and department head, moved to the door and shut it swiftly, "But you're one of the best students in the school."

Touma knew that wasn't the truth. He WAS the best student at the school. But he didn't correct him. "Thank you, sir."

"We're also aware of your.. financial difficulties." Touma just stared at Mr. Watanabe. Mr. Watanabe stared back. "I assume you know who Date Seiji is."

"Of course." And Touma had strangely thought he wouldn't have to hear anything about the King here as neither Ryo nor Shuu was in this class.

"Perhaps you're aware that he will be attending this school starting tomorrow." Touma nodded. "As a contributor to numerous public works, including this school and a prominent family of Japan, it would be in our best interests to keep the Date family happy." Touma did NOT like where this was going. "They've requested the best student to act as a tutor for their son and I recommended you."

"Don't they have like... a private teacher available to them?"

"It's a bit complicated." Touma thought back to the conversation he'd had with Shuu. Having some assistance from a student tutor wouldn't be suspicious, but a full-time specialist might draw some attention. It might seem like they hadn't been doing their homeschooling job.

"I'd rather not." Touma stated bluntly. No way was he going to escort the King around. Then he'd never have any time with his friends. He could see it all now.

The teacher looked surprised, but still hopeful. "They've offered to pay tuition and all school related expenses for the student tutor, including a wardrobe update and a meal-plan."

Now that was going to be a hard offer to turn down. But, he loved his friends more than that. "No."

"Touma, I was really hoping you'd say yes."

Oh, so the teacher had already accepted for him. Too bad, he had a right to say no. "I'm sorry, but I'm really not interested in becoming a tutor."

Mr. Watanabe turned hard, like when he caught someone cheating on one of his tests. It was not a pretty sight. "I've been lax with repeated tardiness and a complete lack of homework turned in because I felt confident that you knew this material. Perhaps I was wrong."

"Sensei..."

"I was even going to let you test out of this course for full credit so you could devote more of your time to tutoring. But I guess you'll just have to repeat my course, what with all those zeros in your homework log."

Ouch. Mr. Watanabe wasn't going to let him say no. Touma responded as blandly as he could. "You know, now that I think about it, I'd really enjoy having the chance to spread knowledge like this. Of course I'll do it."

"I knew I could count on you. He'll be transfering into all of your classes so that you can best be able to help him. If you have any questions or problems just let me know." Mr. Watanabe hurried to open the door and pull out a sheet of paper from his bag, leading Touma to the back of the classroom. "I've already taken the liberty of drawing up a test for you. You can take it at my desk in back during class today. Assuming you pass, which I'm sure you will, and you continue to tutor him until the end of the semester, you've got an A in this course. Instead, you'll be attending a basic mathmatics course with him during this same period." The teacher flew through his speech as if it'd already been prepared and smiled broadly at Touma. "You should also show him around the school and keep him in high spirits. We wouldn't want to lose any of our funding. After class, you should stop by the main office and let them know you've accepted the position. They'll take care of the rest."

By this point, a few students had trickled in, looking at Touma and the teacher curiously but not voicing any questions. Mr. Watanabe winked and took his position at the front of class.

Touma dropped his head onto the desk and swore. The whole world seemed to be conspiring against him.

Touma finished the test in record time, wandering from the room without so much as a comment from the teacher. He found himself a corner to curl up in inside the library and examined his situation. This must have been what Shuu was talking about earlier. The little brat had known that this was coming and hadn't said a word to him about it. Probably thought he was doing Touma a favor. They all thought they were doing him a favor, when what he really needed was for people to stop interfering. He LIKED his life just the way it was. The King was ruining everything!

Shin looked concerned when he appeared at the door of their biology class. He must have looked more haggardly than he'd originally thought. With just a few minutes to go before the bell rang, Shin pulled Touma along to their seats. "Are you alright?" He asked immediately.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Shin didn't buy his lies for a second.

"Yeah, well, it's just been a long day."

"It's not even noon yet."

Touma plopped into his seat, and decided to be honest. That always worked best with Shin and Shin was great at making people feel better. "The King is... wait, you do know who the King is, right?"

Was Shin blushing? It almost looked like it... but no, why would he be blushing? "Of course. I am Ryo's friend, you know. I might not follow him much myself, but I've certainly seen him."

"Right. Well, he's going to be attending Han A High starting tomorrow and I'm supposed to tutor him."

"Seriously?" Now Touma was sure Shin was blushing. But why?

"Yeah, seriously."

Shin seemed to regain his composure. "That's cool, I guess." He never was good at nonchalant. "Do you not want to tutor him?"

"Honestly?" Touma gazed up at Shin's friendly eyes. "No."

"Why not?"

Was he going to tell Shin that he was afraid losing his friends? Nope. "I don't have that sort of time. I've got work and school and all my homework. I want to have a life too, you know."

"I see. Don't they pay you for being a tutor though? So, you really don't need to keep working at Ryo's grandmother's factory." Shin smiled. "It'll be a better job for your skills anyway. And I'm sure she'll understand."

"I can't just randomly quit like that."

"Oh." It seemed to click in Shin's head that he didn't yet have the whole story. Touma started to regret talking to him. "Well, if you didn't want the job, why'd you accept it?"

"My teacher blackmailed me."

Shin laughed heartily. "You always have the most interesting problems." The bell shrilled from somewhere above their heads and Shin took his seat. "Just keep an open mind. You might enjoy it."

.o0o.

A/N: Bam! And it's longer, too. Are you proud yet? Keep the reviews coming, it's really quite the boost to my confidence.

Matrix Taylor: You know, just for you, I think I'll wait a couple chappies before introducing Seiji... bwahahaha! Nah, I'll probably do it next chapter, but I needed to get through this bit first.

Yawen: Plot? What plot? I don't really have a plot planned for this sucker. :P


	5. Seiji's education

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I was without internet for so long. So, so, very long... Oh, and Seiji's finally entered, for all those adoring fans out there. Hope y'all like it!

.o0o.

Seiji took a deep breath and held it for a minute, releasing slowly as he counted to ten. It was a trick that his mother had taught him in order to calm his nerves. And boy, were his nerves going haywire. He could face down world champions with ten more years of training without a second thought but put him in front of a building writhing with children his age and he was about ready to bolt. This whole process was just… stupid. And he'd said as much, earning himself a harsh wrap on the back of his hands from his grandfather.

"You'll do as you're told," was all his grandfather had deemed necessary to tell him. So there Seiji was, standing before a school for the first time in his life. He felt awkward and wondered for the thousandth time that month why he couldn't have just done better on those intelligence tests. He knew he was not mentally retarded, though he'd scored worse than most functioning retards. He'd seen those types of people before, rather similar to the brainless masses that circled a fighting arena, shouting nonsense in what he assumed was an attempt to destroy his concentration. But still, when that test had come, he'd been stumped on nearly every answer. A big, fat zero was stamped onto his math test, and the rest of his scores weren't much higher. He'd managed to pass Japanese history but the only thing he actually did well on was his physical aptitude/coordination exam. So he was what? Physically smart?

The worst part was that social services had decided that his parents weren't good parents and he only had one semester to prove them wrong. His parents spent a lot of time with him, particularly his grandfather. They coached him on all sorts of martial arts, demanding perfection in every move. He knew every method that was formally recognized on the planet, including their names and histories. (Why couldn't the tests have covered that material?) The same was true of weaponry, though he had a strong preference and spent much more time on his sword skills. His parents pushed him to be the best he could be and while they had no problems with corporal punishments, they had never been intentionally cruel to him.

"This is how the samurai were trained, Seiji." Seiji's grandfather had repeated every time Seiji broke down from the stress. "They worked with single-minded determination to become the very best at what they did. You have a talent unparalleled in this generation, but even the most talented person cannot use their craft without the proper training." So Seiji had trained every day until he began to defeat even his grandfather in matches. What was the knowledge of math in comparison to reaching his potential?

Unfortunately, society didn't seem to agree with Seiji's assessment. His father had gotten him a tutor, and his grandfather severely cut back his required training hours, and his mother had kissed him on the cheek that morning with a whispered, "Good luck." Seiji would not let them down. It seemed impossible that he could learn everything in his allotted time, but, then again, it seemed impossible that a 15 year old could be the world kendo champion.

Seiji straightened his back and pushed wide the front door of the building, flowing down the hall with his natural grace, enhanced by his intense training. He held himself proudly, not paying much attention to the swooning girls and boys. He desperately hoped his tutor would not be like this sniveling goopy mass of a person that was practically bowing at his feet, paper and pen in hand.

"Date-sama!" The goop croaked. "May I be so bold as to ask for a signature?"

Seiji took the paper and pen from him and scribbled a signature across the lines, a well practiced gesture. He smiled, the one he knew caused the girls to sigh, and asked, "Would you be able to show me to room E226?" Better to ask this one than to risk being escorted by an overly eager girl. Women were quite frightful creatures. He supposed that his aversion to women was probably not normal but had never really questioned it.

"It would be my pleasure!" Goop picked himself up from the floor and smiled broadly at his real, live hero, gesturing for Seiji to follow him. "I can't believe I am showing Date Seiji around my school!" Goop whispered rather loudly. "If I might be so rude as to ask…. What are you doing at Han A High?"

Might as well cut straight to the chase. "I will be attending school here for the next semester."

"Really? That's so cool! What classes are you taking?" Seiji resisted the urge to sigh, unfolded the schedule tucked in his jacket and passed it along to his new 'friend.' Goop eagerly scanned the sheet and announced that they were in the same science class. "I would be happy to show you to your other classes, you know, act as your guide."

Goop was practically glowing at the idea. Seiji decided that he needed to act quickly or he would be stuck with this distraction. Time to scrape the goop off his shoe, politely, of course. Seiji was always polite. Not only was it a necessary part of his training, it had been in his breeding as well. His parents liked to say that his first word had been 'mommy-san'. "That's a very generous offer, but I've already arranged to meet with another gentleman." Goop's face dropped and Seiji felt a wave of misery. He seriously hoped not all people would be this… needy. "What's your name?"

"Yamamoto Daichi. Pleased to meet you, Date-san."

"Yamamoto-san. I was hoping you might do me one more favor."

Goop's face lit up. "Yes, anything."

"Perhaps you can introduce me to him? His name is Hashiba Touma. Do you know him?"

"Yes, Date-san. Everyone knows Hashiba Touma. He's the smartest person in the school, counting the teachers. They say that he got offered twelve separate full scholarships and offers to all kinds of colleges, but he turned them all down to finish high school with his friends." Goop cut himself off as they'd arrived at their destination.

"Let's not gossip." Of course Seiji's father would select him as the most capable.

"Of course." They were still early for class and only a few students were present. Not even the teacher had shown up yet. All heads turned abruptly upon site of the blonde, all except two talking in the back. Seiji was able to catch the tail end of their conversation as Yamamoto led him across the floor.

"I can't believe we're actually early."

"That's what happens when I don't have to work."

"I don't care what you say, Touma, this change in job is definitely going to be a good thing for you. He's certainly paying a lot more."

Goop coughed from behind the pair, gaining their attention and stood to the side to present Seiji with the formality of royalty. "Hashiba Touma? This is Date Seiji-sama, although I'm sure you already knew that. Date-san, this is Hashiba Touma."

"Pleased to meet you, Hashiba-san." Seiji greeted formally.

Touma didn't really respond, just gave a half-shrug, half-nod. Seiji couldn't help but stare. Not only was his hair that peculiar shade of blue, Touma hadn't acted completely enamored with him. Nor had he shown the jealousy he'd felt in others. Seiji had felt a touch a jealously on the edge of his senses, muffled as if the person before him had trained to hide his emotions. And different. This jealousy was different... somehow. Touma intrigued him.

"Daichi-kun! That's not nice. You should introduce me, too," came the voice from the other boy.

"Date-san, this is Shuu Rei Faun. He's a big fan of yours." Tamamoto said the last part breezily and while Shuu eagerly bowed to Seiji, Seiji didn't return his enthusiasm, returning the bow distractedly and turning his eyes back on Touma.

"Date-sama, it was a real pleasure, but I must be getting to my class. Please let me know if you need anything else." Goop backed out of the room bowing, an awkward experience, considering their location was furthest from the door. Seiji resisted the urge to sigh.

"It's natural." Touma stated, seemingly out of the blue.

Seiji belatedly realized that he was talking about his hair. He probably got a lot of stares because of it. Seiji could relate. "I am appreciative of your assistance. I hope not to be a burden."

"Too late." Touma muttered. Shuu elbowed him and growled out condemnations. Touma fought back with a returning elbow and a "I'll say what I damn well please!"

Shuu looked mortified but Seiji just chuckled, to everyone's surprise. "So, where do I sit?"

.o0o.


	6. Touma's thoughts on perfection

.o0o.

Touma hated him. _Hated him!_ If it wasn't bad enough that Seiji had to be perfect at everything, perfect at fighting, perfect at gym (Touma's worst class), perfectly polite in everything he said, perfectly perfect when handling uncomfortable situations, perfect exotic lavender eyes, perfect slender hands...Touma shook his head, wondering where those thoughts had come from. If that wasn't bad enough, Touma had been 100% correct about his friends going ga ga over the King. Ryo and Shuu were actually getting along. Was this intruder somehow a better friend that he managed to get the two of them to stop fighting? Touma felt slightly sick at the thought.

And if he thought things couldn't get any worse, Shin had gone to the dark side as well! He kept sneaking glances and blushing like a schoolgirl. Touma couldn't figure out if Shuu's current obliviousness was a good thing or not. On one hand, he hadn't clued in that Shin's preferences might not be as straight as they'd always assumed, and on the other, he couldn't be devastated by Shin's clear preference for Seiji. Touma decided to be upset for Shuu as well.

And to top it all off, the only thing Touma could lord over him was his intelligence and he wasn't allowed to do that. Any slightly snide comment would get him three death glares. It wasn't even worth it as Seiji didn't seem the slightest bit concerned by his rude behavior. He couldn't decide what he wanted least: stay and watch all three of his friends drool over Mr. Perfectly Stupid or separate from them to start their first tutoring session alone with his newfound archnemisis. Deciding that both were equally terrible but that one would actually get him paid, Touma made up his mind to start tutoring right then during lunch on Seiji's first day.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Seiji and I had better go hit the books." Seiji actually threw him a thankful look, and it occurred to Touma that he was also saving Seiji from a barrage of trivial questions. He hadn't meant to help Seiji out. Oh well.

Touma led Seiji to the library and parked himself in a group study section, hoping that the librarians would help reduce traffic heading in Seiji's direction.

"Math seems to be a challenging area. Why don't we start there?" Seiji seemed to hesitate, but obediently took out the math book that had been given to him two classes previous and flipped to the page they'd used during class. "Can you do one of these problems? It doesn't matter if you get it right, I just want to see where you're going wrong."

"Unfortunately, I don't know where to begin to solve this problem."

Touma didn't understand how Seiji couldn't grasp this when the teacher had explained it bright as day during class. Frustrated by the seemingly simplicity of this exercise, Touma gritted his teeth and tried to be nice, "Okay, well, you probably haven't seen any of this before and I shouldn't have expected you to jump in on the first day." Flipping backward in the book several chapters, Touma pointed out a new problem. "Could you do that one for me?"

"No."

Going to the first page, the blue haired teen asked Seiji to do the first problem of the year. Receiving the expected, but dreaded, no, Touma changed tactics. "Well, you obviously know your numbers and can count." Touma was extremely relieved to see Seiji nod; it hadn't been that obvious at all. "And I'm assuming you can add and subtract." Another nod. "And you probably know how to multiply and divide." Touma waited patiently for a nod that was never to come.

Seiji raised an eyebrow. "I do not."

"That's elementary school work."

"I never went to an elementary school."

"You were supposedly home-schooled. Your parents should have taught you this."

"My parents taught me what I needed to know to be the best fighter in the world. I do not need math."

Touma couldn't believe his ears. Had his parents really deemed math completely unnecessary for their child? "Look, you might not want to become an astrophysicist." Pause. "You might not even know what that is. But that doesn't mean you won't need math. When you live on your own, how will you manage your finances? How will you ensure that no one is cheating you when you buy groceries? How will you make sure you have enough money to survive for the month?" This was hitting a little too close to home for Touma, and he turned his head.

"I do not understand. Why would people cheat me out of money? My father said that as long as I was working, I would always have enough money for everything I need."

Touma was amazed. "Everything you need? Seiji, you can have everything you've ever wanted. Do you have any idea how much money you make?" Seiji didn't respond. "Your family is in the top ten richest people on the planet. Right up there with the Queen of England." He might've been exaggerating a little, but it probably wasn't by much.

"We had a plan, Hashiba-san. A person can only be a competitive fighter for a limited number of years. After it was no longer practical, I would go into teaching my trade and learning to be self-sufficient. That is, until the government decided that they knew what was better for me than my own parents."

"Why do your parents get to decide everything that's best for you? Shouldn't you get a say? Did they ever ask you if you wanted to be a fighter?"

"My parents only want what's best for me."

"And I'm sure the big wad of cash has nothing to do with it."

Seiji stood abruptly and Touma saw anger flashing through his eyes, but his words were as polite as ever, though there was an edge to them that made Touma suddenly recall that this was an exceptionally lethal King that stood before him. "I will no longer be requiring your services Hashiba-san. Intellect will do you no good if you alienate people."

And somehow, when Seiji walked gracefully out the library doors, Touma couldn't bring himself to do a victory dance. This was what he wanted, what he'd been trying to do, wasn't it? Yet Touma hadn't planned this. Up until those harsh words had slipped unchecked from his mouth, they'd been having a decent conversation. Seiji, while entirely too naïve and uneducated, seemed capable of holding his own verbally. He might have even become one of the smart kids, had his parents ever given him the chance. And when it was just the two of them, perfect hadn't seemed so bad, after all.

.o0o.

A/N: I'm terribly sorry if Touma seems like a jerk in this. Remember, his understanding of the world is very different than Seiji's. I promise if you stick with it, he'll get nicer.


	7. Ryo hears a legend

A/N: I thought to myself, Ryo's cool. He should have his own chapter. And then this chapter was born.

.o0o.

Ryo had been standing there for over twenty minutes and still he couldn't decide whether or not to get Nasutei the red flowers. He didn't want to be too overt in his advances, wanted to still be able to back out and call it a friendly gesture, wanted to avoid losing Nasutei entirely if his gestures were unwanted. That's why he'd quickly bypassed the roses and headed straight towards these simpler flowers. He didn't know what they were called, didn't want to know what they were called, in case he had to back out. "Just found 'em by the road on my way here." He'd say if her eyes hooded she started to distance herself. They could be friends. They would be friends, no matter what.

But Ryo wanted so much more.

With a hurried glance down at his watch, Ryo realized that he would likely be late if he spent any more time deliberating. Scooping up a single flower, a compromise, Ryo paid the old vendor who was clearly startled by his sudden decision. Walking quickly, Ryo found himself in front of Nasutei's door in record time and slightly panting. She opened the door almost immediately, as if she'd been waiting for him (but she couldn't possibly) and Ryo thrust the flower into her face before he lost his courage.

"I found them, er it by the way on my road here." He stuttered, wanting to slap his forehead.

"You know this kind of flower doesn't grow around here." Ryo chuckled nervously. "Must have been really lucky to find one. Thanks, Ryo." Nasutei kissed his cheek and made room for him to enter, searching the adjacent kitchen to find a vase to put the flower in. "I don't know if I told you, but red is my favorite color."

"You hadn't mentioned that. Mine, too." Ryo responded, glad Nasutei wasn't looking to see his starry eyed expression as he laid a hand on the cheek she'd kissed.

Nasutei returned and set the vase on a nearby coffee table. "Come here," she invited, "there's a particular legend I'd like you to take a look at." Ryo trotted over obediently and sat beside the college student, accepting the large tome she placed in his lap. "Be careful with that one, it's very old and quite possibly the last of its kind."

Ryo nodded and gently pulled the cover open, turning immediately to the page where a single white feather had been stuck. He read quietly as Nasutei was taking notes on something and finished the story with a strange sense of deja-vu. He was sure he'd heard the legend somewhere before but he couldn't recall where. It certainly hadn't been with Nasutei, she'd assured him over the phone that this was a completely different one, one that somehow needed their immediate attention.

The story was of a dark lord and nine armors that gifted their bearer with superhuman powers. The catch was that each armor only chose one bearer and while the armors would only select a human with a good heart, the dark lord would attempt to turn each of the bearers to evil ways. Only with the combined forces of the armors could the dark lord be defeated and the world saved. But the ending was strange, like the legend hadn't been finished.

"Ryo, there's something I've got to tell you. And you're not going to believe me at first, but please keep an open mind. It's very important."

"If you tell me that it's the truth, there's nothing you can say that I won't believe."

Nasutei smiled, a bit sadly, as if she didn't truly believe him. "Ever since I was a little kid, I've had... strange dreams. I know things I shouldn't know, I see things before they happen."

"You're a psychic?"

"I wouldn't say that. I just know some things that I don't have any logical reason to know. Train crashes, names, faces... I would say premonitions." Nasutei confessed nervously.

"Okay. I'll admit that's a little farfetched, but if you believe it, then so do I."

Nasutei looked at Ryo so adoringly that he felt heat rise up in his cheeks. "I've always been afraid to say anything. I'm not saying I'm always right, you know." She chuckled. "I thought your name was Rekka for some reason. And you always make me think of red."

"Rekka? That sounds... familiar."

"Maybe I wasn't as far off as I'd thought. Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I believe this legend is true and that it's going to happen soon. I've seen it. And you're involved... somehow." Ryo opened his mouth to try to find some middle ground here, but she held up a hand to stop him. "I've read this legend about a thousand times, but I wouldn't have dared say a word if that was all there was. My grandfather sent me a package; I just got it last night." Nasutei moved out of the room briefly and returned with a small box. "He'd been searching through the storage in a museum he recently bought and couldn't figure out what these strange colored balls were doing there. They didn't seem to be of any significance but thought they were quite pretty and so he sent them to me. He doesn't have the time to do the research and I always liked a challenge... Anyway, I think they're the armors." Nasutei tipped the box slightly so Ryo could see in.

"Look, you know I believe in you, but I'm not sure I follow you. Those are little balls, how could they be armor? And there are only four of them. The legend says nine armors."

"I don't understand it either. But I know that these are the armors. You have to trust me."

And perhaps it was because Ryo was undeniably in love with this woman or perhaps because he felt she was right somewhere deep inside him, but Ryo nodded. "I trust you."

Nasutei burst into a grin. "Good. Because there's something else." Nasutei practically ran from the room and returned with a fifth ball of the same shape and size, but this one was red and glowing brightly. "As soon as you got here, this one started glowing. I think it's yours." Just as she said the word "yours", and took one more step towards Ryo, the ball flew from her grasp and sailed towards Ryo. He caught it deftly and as soon as the ball touched his skin, his whole body glowed and his clothing was replaced by a thick shell of underarmor.

"I guess that's how it works."

.o0o.


	8. Shin is not gay

.o0o.

Shin could tell that things were different this day the moment that he walked into the doors of the school. He met up with Ryo first and he seemed very excited to see him.

"I take it your date went well?" Shin prodded with an uncharacteristic smirk.

Ryo seemed to lose some of his steam but didn't look upset either. "It wasn't a date, but she did like the flower I gave her."

"You gave her a flower and it wasn't a date?"

Ryo completely ignored Shin's last comment. "You are not going to believe what happened last night."

"You didn't!" Shin gasped, astonished.

"No! No, it wasn't like that. Get your head out of the gutter."

"Oh, sorry." Shin blustered. "Things have just been different since..." Ryo followed Shin's gaze to where Seiji was signing autographs. He did a double take and Shin could see the gears turning in his head. The King being in their school was definitely pretty cool, but Shin really shouldn't be looking at him like that. Unless...

"I didn't know you were gay."

"What?" Shin jumped. "I'm not!"

"...Okay. Well, might I suggest not making faces like that at men unless you want to be called gay?"

"Is it that obvious?" Shin sounded miserable.

Ryo looked at Seiji and back at Shin. "Yeah."

"What am I going to do?"

Ryo didn't understand how someone so good at giving relationship advice was totally clueless when it came to his own romantic interests. "Same thing you told me to do. Spend some time with him, get to know him, let him get to know you, and if he shows an interest, jump on it."

Shin felt very relieved at Ryo's immediate and complete understanding. He'd always been afraid to let anyone know that he liked both men and women for fear of losing them as friends. But Ryo, true to Ryo's form, didn't judge him at all. Nor did he jump to the silly conclusion that just because he liked men, he would like Ryo himself. This was already turning out to be an interesting day.

"And you might have just gotten your chance, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Touma called me last night. Said he wasn't going to tutor Seiji anymore."

"What? Why not?" Shin knew that Touma hadn't wanted to do it from the start, but it wasn't like him to give up on something so quickly.

Ryo shrugged. "Said Seiji didn't want him to anymore. He sounded kind of upset, actually."

"You don't suppose Seiji did something to upset him?"

"I don't think so. Seiji was nothing but polite and Touma was actually pretty rude yesterday." Ryo seemed to shake off this topic. "But I need to tell you something. Well, I should probably show you. You'll never believe me otherwise."

Ryo guided Shin into a rarely used men's bathroom and pulled out a shiny red ball. Shin was immediately entranced. It looked... familiar. But he was blown away when Ryo was suddenly standing before him in armor. Shin reached out and tapped on it, testing to see if it was real. He laid his hand flat on Ryo's chest and felt the warmth of the armor. It was to Shin as if someone was calling him from very far away. Something was happening...

"Someone's coming." Ryo muttered and just as quickly the armor was gone and Shin was resting his hand on Ryo's chest. And that was exactly the position that Shuu found them in.

.o0o.

A/N: Oh, dear lord, this has turned into a soap opera.


	9. Shuu's strange day

.o0o.

Shuu was waiting at the corner of his restaurant for Touma, as usual. He had expected Touma to be early since he wouldn't have to work in the mornings anymore, but he was going to make him late at this rate. Touma had called him last night informing him that he would no longer be tutoring the King. He was rather vague on the reasoning, but Shuu was pretty sure it had something to do with his earlier resistance to tutoring him in the first place. Touma came bustling up the street, paused to catch his breath and immediately apologized for being late.

"I just could not get up this morning." He confessed as the two took up a quick pace down the road toward school.

Shuu wasted no time on idle chatter. "Touma, you can't quit tutoring like that. He needs your help."

"There are other people who would kill just to assist the King. Why does it have to be me?"

"Because you're the most capable." Shuu sighed. It was almost cute how Touma thought he could fool him. Almost. Mostly it was just annoying. "I know what this is about."

"Oh, well, why don't you enlighten me, then." Touma always did get snarky when he was uncomfortable.

"You're afraid you're going to lose us to him." Touma didn't respond. "That's not going to happen, Touma. Not now, not ever. I'm your best friend, and while I might not be able to comprehend most of what's going on in that big head of yours, I do know when something's bothering you. But you're not judging him on what he's done, but what you're afraid he might do. That's not fair and you know it. You're a better person than that." Shuu was certain he was on the right track but Touma wouldn't budge. Perhaps there was something more to all of this?

"It doesn't matter. I didn't quit, he fired me. Still think he's awesome?"

"I think that you're being very self-centered in all of this. Do you think I'd immediately go blind once the King walked into the room? It's obvious Shin has the hots for him. But did you tell me what we'd been spending three years trying to figure out? No, you went home and moped." Shuu could tell that the other teen hadn't realized he'd known about that. He didn't understand why everyone assumed he was oblivious just because he was usually happy and carefree.

"Shuu, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."

"We're almost late to class already and I've got to go to the bathroom. Just think about what I said; we can talk later." Touma nodded and Shuu carried on toward the nearest bathroom. Inside, he found Shin and Ryo looking very intimate. "Should I give you two some privacy?"

Shin snapped his hand away like it'd been burnt and Ryo hurriedly moved toward Shuu, as if to keep him from leaving. "It's not what it looks like."

"Ryo, just show him."

Ryo looked between Shin and Shuu. "I really don't think this is something we should be advertising to the whole world."

"It's not the whole world, it's just Shuu." Shuu felt the sting of Shin's words. Yes, it was "just Shuu." No one special like Seiji. Shuu was beginning to feel the same animosity Touma was suffering against Seiji again but clamped it down. He'd promised to help Seiji and he couldn't do that if he hated the blonde. Besides, it wasn't Seiji's fault that Shin had a crush on him.

Ryo pulled out a plain red ball and Shuu was enraptured in the same manner that Shin had been only moments before. There was something amazing about this ball, he knew, even before Ryo transformed into his subarmor. When he had, Shuu gasped. He reached out to touch just as Shin had and received a shock of images. There was other armor, orange armor. He needed to find it.

"Where did you get this?" Shuu asked, slowly pulling his hand away.

"Nasutei. She was given it by her grandfather but couldn't figure out what it was. When I touched this ball... it reacted to me." Shuu was pretty sure that there was a bit more to this story than Ryo was letting on but he didn't push or question. "You guys don't understand. This armor is amazing. We test drived it last night. I can jump higher than this building, run faster than a car, punch harder... It enhances everything."

"Are there more?" Shuu immediately wanted to know. Wanted to ask if there was an orange one, but the orb Ryo held in his hand was not orange but green.

"Yeah. Nasutei seems to think this one belongs to Seiji. Don't ask how, it's complicated."

"Seiji doesn't need any enhancements, I'll take that one." Shuu half-joked.

"That won't work." Shin said, as if from very far away.

Ryo nodded and turned his armor back into ball shape. "He's right. It only works with one person." He handed off an orb to each of them.

Shuu felt the warmth of the green orb, and it felt right in his hand, but something was still off. He had one, he was sure, but it wasn't this one. "It should be orange." He murmured distractedly as he gazed into the pearly depths of the emerald green ball.

Ryo started. "That's crazy." He whispered. "But worth a shot." Louder, this time, "There IS an orange one. I'll ask Nasutei if maybe you could come over and look at it. Do you want to come, Shin?"

"Very much so."

"Then it's settled."

Shuu glanced down at his watch and then did a double take. "Did we go into a time warp or something? Class is already half over."

"No point in going now." Ryo reasoned. "I'll tell you guys what I know so far and then we can talk to Nasutei after school."

"Sure." Shuu agreed readily. He hardly ever missed class and could somehow tell that this was going to be more important than anything he'd learn in that class, anyway. "But give me a second. I did come in here for a reason."

.o0o.

A/N: Oh, look. Mystical armor. Can I have one?


	10. Seiji looks for Ryo

Warning: A single case of possibly foul language, depending on what you consider foul.

.o0o.

Seiji was having a very odd day. It probably didn't help that it was only his second day of school. Touma was avoiding him, which he figured was just as well because his intrigue didn't go so far as to make up for his complete lack of people skills. It did leave him with a slight problem though. Touma was undoubtedly the most capable of helping him, particularly after the discussion last night with his grandfather which excluded any possibility of a non-peer tutor, but it was clear that Touma was not fond of Seiji. He also felt that he was lost beyond redemption in every one of his classes. The crowds that followed him wherever he went (including the bathroom) had not dissipated in the slightest. He had two confessions of undying love just today and it wasn't even lunch time yet. Furthermore, he couldn't shake this strange feeling that he'd somehow separated into two people and his other half was desperately looking for him.

Seiji sighed as he stepped into the lunch room. He needed to speak with Ryo but Touma was sitting beside him and he didn't want to make things any more awkward than they already were. Shuu turned and waved him over animatedly and Seiji's decision was made for him. To ignore the group now would just be discourteous.

As he approached, he felt a strange tug inside of him, like he was approaching his missing half. The pull was getting stronger the closer he got and about a foot from the table, Seiji reached out his hand as if to coax it towards him. Ryo jerked suddenly and out from his pocket flew something small and green, straight toward Seiji. Ryo dived onto the table to catch it before it got away and clamped the ball to his chest. He'd attracted a lot of attention doing so and one of the teachers gave him a warning look before returning to their food.

When things had settled a little bit, Ryo, who was still clutching the ball to his chest, said "We can't do this here. There are far too many people. Seiji, can you lose your tail and meet me behind J building?"

Seiji nodded and flowed out of the room. Losing his train of followers was always easier said than done. Some were very overt in following him, others attempted to be sly about it. It was really quite a pain. Life had been much simpler when he didn't have to attend school and unwanted visitors could simply be removed from his property. He ditched all of the girls and most of the guys with a faint smile and quick detour into the men's bathroom. One persistent teen followed him right in, and Seiji hid in a stall. The other boy didn't seem to know what to do and entered a stall himself. Stealthily, Seiji crept out and climbed up on the sink so he could reach the small window at the top of the wall. It took quite some maneuvering but he managed to drag himself through the window and drop down outside of the school. Glancing around to ensure that no one had seen him, he ran the rest of the way to the back of J building. Ryo, having taken the most direct route, was already waiting for him.

No words were exchanged as Ryo held out the orb and Seiji mentally called it towards himself. The ball soared straight at the blonde and the minute it touched him, Seiji transformed instantly into his subarmor. Seiji twisted and inspected himself for a minute or two, flexing to feel the armor shift and bend with him. It was surprisingly comfortable and not as cold as he'd expected. It made him feel complete and powerful.

"So, it is yours." Shuu declared from the side of the building that he and Shin had just appeared from.

"Indeed." Seiji murmured, slightly surprised. "It's not quite like I imagined it would be." Seiji calmly looked up at the three people gawking at him. "I think you were right to tell Shin and Shuu, as well. I think they're connected in all this."

"You knew about the armor?" Shin questioned.

"Only what Nasutei has told me."

Ryo keyed in. "You know Nasutei? Koji Nasutei?"

Seiji raised both his eyebrows. "Know her? She's my fiancée." Seiji felt the air shift at his comment and wondered which one of the three before him was interested in Nasutei. Shin and Shuu both threw a glance in Ryo's direction, but Ryo, after a solid moment of shock, had turned his eyes toward Shin. Seiji resisted the urge to sigh. So Shin's interest in him hadn't been his imagination. And due to the length of Ryo's shock, he was quite possibly in love with Nasutei. Seiji felt bad about that, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it.

As minute two crawled by, Seiji decided he really didn't want to be here any longer. If he had known about all this, he would have dropped the bomb a little more tactfully, but... "I am deeply appreciative of you bringing this to me, Sanada-san. I have not had a chance to see Nasutei in quite some time. I trust she is well. Now, if you will excuse me, I would very much like to test out this armor."

Seiji's first move was to jump onto the roof. It was one easy leap. As he started to run, he heard the distinctive voice of Touma say, "What the _hell_ is going on here?" and was very glad that it would not fall on him to answer that question.

.o0o.

A/N: Now tell me truly, who saw that one coming?


	11. Touma's science fails him

Warning: A single case of possibly foul language, the same language, in the first line. Also, this chapter is very short. Should that be a warning?

.o0o.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Touma all but shouted. He might be drawing attention to them, but he didn't damn well care at this point. What had just happened? Raised from an early age to believe in science over faith or magic, what he'd just seen was truly impossible. Unless... Touma's scientific brain valiantly attempted to produce a plausible explanation before curling up in a corner to sleep.

"Uh... Nothing?" Ryo had always been the worst liar on the planet but he wasn't even trying this time. Not that Touma could really blame him. After all, Touma wouldn't want to have come up with some sort of logical explanation for the fairy tale that had just occurred. With a leap like that, it was no wonder that Seiji was a world champion.

"Oh, so Seiji didn't just jump three stories up into the air while wearing a strange metal outfit." Touma turned to Shuu. "This is rich. You tell me off this morning about not keeping you in the loop and you didn't bother to inform me that Seiji has superpowers?"

"That's not fair. He just found out this morning and Ryo made us promise not to tell anyone." Shin stepped in to defend Shuu.

"Besides," Ryo added, "He doesn't have superpowers, he has magical armor. I know how crazy that sounds but I have some, too. But, Touma, this can't go any further than this group. I only asked Nasutei if I could talk to Shin about this."

"I don't have anyone to tell who isn't already here. But you still haven't answered my question. What's going on here?" Touma listened with incredulity to Ryo's explanation, all the while thinking that he must be dreaming as none of this was even possible. He proceeded to spend the last half hour of their lunch period asking Ryo to show him everything he knew about the armor and bringing as much scientific reasoning into the equation as he could. When the bell rang, he acquired an invitation to Nasutei's house and left quickly. Sometimes it paid to have classes so boring that he could spend the entire period thinking. He thought about the armors and his situation with Seiji, but mostly he thought about the strange name that had popped into his head upon seeing the armors. 'Tenku.'

.o0o.


	12. Ryo and Nasutei

.o0o.

The walk to Nasutei's house after school was quiet. They all had questions, dozens of questions, but nothing that anyone in their group could answer. Ryo led the way, trying not to drag his feet too much. Going to Nasutei's didn't hold the same pleasure it had the day before now that he knew she was unobtainable. Who would pick him over a world kendo champion, anyway? All those fleeting glances, slight coloration of the cheeks, lingering touches, had they been his imagination or was it just her excitement at the subject she was studying?

As they drew nearer to her house, Ryo forced himself to at least look like he felt happier. They were friends, after all. There had never actually been a promise of anything more. Besides, he had magical armor, he should be thrilled right now, right?

Nasutei opened the door again before Ryo even had a chance to knock. She looked behind him to Touma, Shin and Shuu and her eyes seemed to glow with energy. "Come in, come in!" It was less of an invitation and more of a demand. "I can't believe this! Oh, but where are my manners?" She nodded at Shin, whom she'd met when he'd accompanied Ryo one day, and stuck out her hand towards Touma. "I'm Nasutei. You must be Touma and Shuu." She shook his hand, and then Shuu's. "Please make yourself at home."

While Ryo and the others took off their shoes and made their way to the couch, Nasutei rushed from the room, muttering about some hypothetical subconscious attraction to other bearers and wondering aloud at the purpose of such a connection. She came back in with three glowing orbs which performed the same trick the other two had. When all three of his friends were clad in subarmors, Ryo stood and joined them in his own. It felt as if he'd just received something he'd been missing his entire life but hadn't known was missing. He'd never felt bereft but now he was complete and knew that should this feeling dissipate, the size and shape would leave a permanent imprint like a single piece removed from the jigsaw puzzle of his mind.

"I'm just gonna..." Touma said as he backed his way to the door.

Ryo new the feeling. Power running through the body like blood through veins. It surged and danced and demanded that the body do the same. He wanted to go with them, but he already knew what his armor could do and his mind begged for answers louder than his armor begged for movement. "Try not to be seen." Ryo reminded as the other three crept out the back door, zooming from sight almost immediately. Ryo turned back to Nasutei. "So you knew it was them before?"

"I had my suspicions about Shin, I was actually glad you decided to tell him. As for Touma and Shuu? I hadn't the foggiest notion until their orbs began to glow. It is too strange to be a coincidence that all of the armors chose you as bearers."

"Where are the other four armors? We must know the people who are meant to wear them as well."

"I don't know." Nasutei confessed. "There were only five armors in the package. I asked my grandfather but he only knew of the five."

"Maybe the other four already have their bearers?" Ryo suggested, glad that things were not awkward between them. It was easy to slip back into their old flow, bantering, hypothesizing, debating.

"Perhaps. You said you can sense the other armors, so keep your eyes peeled, so to speak. Other than that, there's not a lot we can do about it. With any luck, you'll know them and we can all work together to defeat this dark lord. But..."

Ryo inched closer. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid the dark lord might already have turned them, like the legend said he'd be trying to do. The other armors could be your enemy. You have to be very careful out there, Ryo. It's dangerous." How Nasutei could look at him like that while engaged to another man; it just wasn't right. He had to find out the whole story behind this.

"Don't worry about me, Nasutei. I've been training, remember? Touma, too."

Nasutei was already shaking her head. "It's not going to be enough. These armors will make you powerful, but you won't be invincible. And the story says that you'll need all of the armors to defeat the dark lord, so he's going to be very strong. Training has always been something you've done for fun. Now you need to do it like your life depends on it because it just might." There was a moment of silence before Nasutei pressed on. "You need to ask Seiji to help all of you train."

"So it's true? You're engaged to him?" Ryo couldn't have kept the hurt out of his voice if it was all he was trying to do.

"Yes." Ryo turned, surprised that it still burned at his heart. "But it was an arranged marriage. We were betrothed when I was only seven. Seiji had just turned three. The Koji and the Date families are very prominent families. Our grandparents pushed for it, they seemed to think that it's import for us to... maintain the bloodlines, particularly after Seiji's mother married an American."

"Do you love him?" Ryo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Love him? He's charming, kind and courteous. A true gentleman, that one. Yes, I love him, but more like a brother than anything else. I think he feels the same about me."

"Then why are you going to marry him? You should marry someone because you're in love them." Ryo didn't want to let the hope grow only to be squelched but he couldn't help how those words made him feel.

"Oh, several reasons. I think we're both afraid of disappointing our families. And we'd never had a reason before. Neither of us loved anyone else. Plus, Seiji liked having a way of turning down his admirers gently." Ryo could almost jump for joy. He'd have to tell Shin as well, at his earliest convenience.

"Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" Ryo asked, not upset, only curious.

"It's kind of hard to explain." Nasutei shrugged. "Plus, I really don't want to blow Seiji's cover. You can't tell anyone, but he's kind of sheepish around women."

Ryo chuckled, then sidled marginally closer on the couch. He cleared his throat, nervous again. "What did you mean when you said before? Do you love someone now?"

And suddenly, Nasutei's lips were on his in a sweet, but quick first kiss. Ryo felt like a fish with his mouth opening and closing. He hadn't been expecting that, but he'd certainly enjoyed it. Nasutei smiled. "If that was okay with you, then maybe I should let Seiji know that we're going to have to face the music."

"You don't have to do this for me." Ryo said, looking at his hands.

"I want to."

Ryo sometimes wondered if he was too good of a friend. "Well, as long as Seiji knows about us, then there really isn't a problem with how things are. He can still use it as an excuse, you can take your time coming up with a good way of telling your parents and we can take things slowly."

Nasutei smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. " I think that's a good plan."

Ryo scooted away on the couch as Touma, Shuu and Shin burst in the back door, each glowing with exertion and happiness. Ryo summarized what he'd learned about the armors and then listened as the others bragged about their new abilities. Ryo smiled back towards Nasutei as they headed out to get started on their homework.

"We're going to need to ask Seiji for help with training." Ryo said almost immediately as they stepped out the door.

"No." Touma protested, just as quickly.

Ryo responded with the same explanation Nasutei had given him before, concluding with the reasoning that Seiji was not only one of the most capable people, he conveniently also had armor and would be able to maintain confidentiality and have a better understanding of their capabilities. "We don't know when we'll have to face the dark lord. For all we know, it could be tomorrow. And I, for one, want to be as prepared for it as humanly possible. The quicker and better the training, the better off we will all be."

This comment seemed to sober the group as they came down from the high of discovering their powers. There were bad guys out there that they had to stop. "Touma, you've gotta apologize and offer to tutor him again. I don't want to risk my neck by being under-prepared because you were too stubborn to make up after a spat." Shuu declared, "So whatever it is you've got against him, you'll have to forget about it for a while."

.o0o.

A/N: The plot thins! Oh, wait, I'm supposed to call that "resolving" or something, aren't I? Now they all have armor and Ryo has the girl. I realize that I've made Nasutei seem quite eccentric, but I think that's a better representation of her.


	13. Touma reflects on family

.o0o.

Touma stood before the smallish house and triple checked the address. Seiji's handwriting was sloppy, not like he didn't care but like he never practiced, yet the words were unmistakable. This was clearly Seiji's home. He'd expected the traditional style home, expected the expanse of land, even expected the dojo a short distance from the family home. What he hadn't expected was how small the place would be. Seiji was raking in the cash, couldn't they afford a much larger home than that? Touma checked the address a final time before shoving the scrap of paper back into his pocket and marching up the stone pathway to the front door.

He wasn't quite sure what to do when he got there. He hadn't had a lot of a experience with traditional houses, wasn't sure where he could knock without punching a hole into the paper walls, wasn't sure if he should shout or if that would be rude. Fortunately, the decision was made for him as the door slid open and out stepped a beautiful black-haired woman. She had the same strange coloration in her eyes as Seiji and Touma decided that she must be his mother.

The woman bowed in greeting. "If you're looking for lessons, the dojo is actually that building. I know it can be a little confusing."

"Actually, Seiji invited me to dinner."

"Oh, yes." The woman chirped. "You must be Hashiba Touma. Seiji did mention you would be coming. Dinner won't be for another hour, so Seiji can entertain you. You can find him in the dojo."

"Thank you." The woman nodded and returned to the house while Touma crossed another stone pathway towards the dojo. He thought back to how he'd obtained his invitation.

He'd approached Seiji at lunch, not exactly sure what to say. He'd spent almost the entire night lying awake and thinking. He eventually came to the conclusion that Shuu was right and he was punishing Seiji for things that were beyond his control. And, only to himself and only silently would he admit that he might possibly feel some sort of attraction toward the blonde that had thrown him off. It'd made him even more snappy and unreasonable. He wasn't supposed to be attracted to guys. He'd never really thought about it before. Never felt anything for a woman but not for a man, either, so he'd always assumed that sort of thing would come later. It had come alright, in the form of a pleasant dream and damp blankets. But none of that had helped him to think of what exactly he should say.

"I'm sorry." In a flash, he'd decided to start there and see what happened.

"For what?" Seiji inquired, as Shuu, Shin and Ryo all pretended to be deeply engrossed in their food, while undoubtedly spending most of their concentration on this conversation. Touma wished he could be talking privately, but didn't want to chance Seiji turning him down.

"For my behavior. It was inappropriate and you didn't deserve that."

"Apology accepted." Seiji responded easily.

Touma fidgeted. "We'd like for you to help us train."

"I did hear you all have armor now." Seiji seemed to mull it over. "I'm afraid I can't help you, though. I don't have a lot of spare time and I need to spend it studying."

"I can tutor you." Touma instantly supplied. "You've talked to Nasutei; you know how important this is."

Seiji said nothing for so long that the silence became almost painful for Touma. Inside his head, he could hear Seiji saying, 'but you don't know how important passing grades are to me.' The unspoken words reverberated off of the sides of his head, echoing as if his brain were not even there. Had Seiji actually said that? No, no, it'd only been in his head, Touma assured himself. But it was almost as if Seiji had said it directly into his head.

Finally, Seiji spoke. "I will think about it on the condition that you attend dinner at my house tonight. We can discuss privately after dinner."

And so there Touma was, standing in front of the dojo and feeling awkward. He opened the door and walked down a hallway, picking a direction at random and found a large room with roughly a dozen young adults performing a set routine, each with a wooden sword in hand. An old man was wondering about the group, correcting mistakes as they came. Since his back was turned, Touma decided to try another room before he was spotted. There was a much smaller room with an intense sparring match happening between a boy and a girl, each about ten years old. The referee was a woman that so closely resembled Seiji's mother that Touma found himself doing a double take before moving on to the final room. It was as large as the first with more than twenty children crammed in. At the head of the room was the unmistakable mop of Seiji's blond hair. Seiji caught his eye almost instantly and nodded toward a bench on the side where a few parents were waiting anxiously and proudly.

Touma sat and looked about the room. It was really too small for so many children and they all looked in danger of hitting one another, but Seiji took it all in with ease, shouting from all corners of the room as he carefully and subtly shifted the children into safer locations. He was probably swamped with demands from parents to have their child train under him. More than one of the children were clearly foreigners and Touma imagined that their parents paid through the nose to have their children train under the great Date Seiji. He still wasn't convinced that his parents weren't just using Seiji to make money.

The session was clearly winding down as more parents trickled in and Seiji began to have the children do cool down exercises. Touma waited patiently as the children began to clear out. Many of the children ran up and hugged Seiji before leaving, their parents mouthing apologies or words of gratitude.

One man handed Seiji a check, and Touma listened in on the conversation. "Sorry it's late."

"Not a problem. Thank you for letting us know in advance that your payment would be late. If it is becoming a burden, you do know we have assistance packages."

"I couldn't possibly accept that. Your family gives back so much to the community already. You guys were the primary support for the playground Emiko uses every day. It's like getting two for the price of one already."

Seiji smiled, "Well, thank you. I will see you next week."

Seiji turned back to Touma and gave him a look that said, 'do you get it now?' He was starting to. They left the room silently and headed back for the small room. The two were still going at it and the referee was looking bored as she leaned against the wall. She straightened as Seiji entered the room. One of the fighters threw off her helmet, releasing a wave of black hair and bounded up to Seiji, leaping into his arms without a second thought.

"Nii-chan!" She squealed as Seiji shifted her into a more comfortable position. "I beat him!"

The other child pulled off his mask and made a face. "Did not!"

The woman came closer. "You might have beaten him if you'd continued. Considering your current location, I would say you forfeit."

The girl in Seiji's arms stuck her tongue out at the referee and turned back to Seiji. "I was beating him. By a lot. One more point and I would've won."

Seiji set her down on the ground and bent so their faces were level. "It's not about whether you can win, or even winning, for that matter. You need to finish what you start and you need to make sure that changes in your surroundings don't distract you. Why don't you finish up this match and then wash up for dinner? I've brought a guest." Seiji pointed at Touma with his thumb.

"Really?" She peered around Seiji to take a long look at Touma. "This is exciting. You never bring friends over, nii-chan."

Seiji ignored her comment and stepped back so Touma was in view. "Hashiba-san, this is my little sister Satsuki. And this is my older sister Yayoi. Satsuki-chan, Yayoi, this is Hashiba Touma, he's been assisting me on my schoolwork."

"Touma-senpai!" Satsuki bellowed, throwing out her hand wildly. "It's super nice to meet you. I hope Seiji's told you how nice I am."

Touma marveled at how completely opposite this young girl was compared to her older brother and could hardly believe they were related. Yayoi seemed much more sedate, but not even she was as courteous as Seiji was. "Of course he has." Touma fibbed. "He was very excited to introduce us."

The little girl put her gear back on. "Okay, I'll see you at dinner!" She threw herself back in the match, hardly waiting for the other kid to pick himself up.

Seiji left the room shaking his head and led Touma back down the hall. Touma was a bit shocked at how things had turned out already. He hadn't even known that Seiji had sisters but they had both seemed very nice and caring. Satsuki clearly adored Seiji and wasn't shy about showing it. Touma briefly wondered what his life might have been like if he'd had a sister like that.

"Ah, so this was the lad who peeped into the room earlier." Touma started at the voice and looked up to see himself in the first room he'd entered with the old man staring at him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Touma stammered, surprised that the old man had even see him before.

"Not a problem. It is always good to see curious young eyes here." Seiji immediately introduced the man as his grandfather and crossed the floor to a supplies cabinet. "Seiji, you'd best get started. We've only a short while before dinner and your mother insists that your evenings be spent only on schoolwork. I don't know how she expects you to win your next tournament with so little preparation, but I suppose it cannot be helped."

What Touma saw next awed him. He'd never seen the King in action before but he realized now that his title had been well earned. He flowed across the floor with more grace than a ballerina and greater speed than a cheetah. His movements were sharp, clear and perfect. His footing never wavered and he did not once hesitate in his training.

Touma was suddenly aware of three things. One, it could be none other than Seiji who trained them and he would have to convince him to do so somehow. If they were expected to defeat this supervillian, it had to be Seiji. Two, he was undeniably attracted to Seiji. And three, he wasn't ashamed any longer of his attraction, not to this person who was so perfect, he seemed to almost glow.

Touma sat and waited for Seiji, listening to his grandfather throw out instructions and somehow correct the perfection he was seeing before him. It felt like only a blink of an eye when Satsuki burst in the room, already changed from her workout clothes and announced that it was dinner time before disappearing the way she came. Seiji and his grandfather bowed to each other before Seiji disappeared into what appeared to be a changing room. His grandfather nodded to Touma as he passed.

Seiji took only a few minutes in the room to change and clean up before he escorted Touma back to the house. "I hope it hasn't been too boring for you." Seiji apologized as they walked. "I told you to come early because I thought you might like to see the dojo."

"It wasn't boring at all. I enjoyed it. Thank you." Touma was surprised by how sincere his words were and this seemed to please Seiji greatly.

Smiling, Seiji entered the house and removed his shoes, gesturing for Touma to do the same. He then followed the blonde across the house and into a dinning room where Seiji's whole family was gathered around a square, low table. Two cushions were left empty for them and they sat. Opposite of them was Seiji's grandfather, seated alone. To Touma's side was Satsuki and Yayoi, while Seiji's parents sat to his side. At least, he assumed the older blond man was Seiji's father.

They were all polite in their own way, but very hospitable and Touma could feel a deep sense of love and trust flowing around the room. They asked first questions about him, demanding to know about his education, his plans, his family (they were so shocked and disturbed to find that it was just him and his father that he neglected to mention how little his father was actually home) before turning their attention inward. By listening in, Touma learned about Seiji's family as well. They were all very invested in running the dojo, one of the best in the world.

Seiji's grandfather, he learned, was his maternal grandfather and was in charge of everything that transpired in the dojo. He knew everything there was to know about the traditional methods and had taught Seiji, as his heir, all that he knew. Not only was he Seiji's personal trainer, but he ran the majority of the lessons that went on, making sure that everything was done in the traditional manner. In his day, he had earned himself national recognition, but never to the extent that Seiji dominated.

Seiji's mother, whom Touma had met at the door, took care of the housework and was a skilled fighter as well, teaching a good third of their pupils. She was quite capable of running the dojo herself and her knowledge rivaled that of her father's. However, since she was not a male, he'd refused to hand over control to her. He also refused to relinquish control to her husband who wasn't even Japanese.

Seiji's father came from America with a bachelor's in Japanese history and instantly fell in love with the land and a woman on a visit for his master's program. He never went back. Instead, he married into the prominent Date family and used his previous job experience as an accountant to take over all of the dojo's finances. While he wasn't qualified to teach at the dojo, he did take over the homeschooling of both Yayoi and Seiji. Touma felt he was too submissive in nature, which was probably why he took on the Date family name and allowed Seiji's grandfather to dictate what Seiji would be taught.

Yayoi was currently applying to colleges, while finishing up her high school education. Her education had been much more thorough without being constantly whisked off by her grandfather and numerous colleges were offering her scholarships. She was a competent fighter herself, though nowhere near Seiji's skill level, and largely acted more as a referee than an actual teacher.

Satsuki was the most normal of the family. She was overly exuberant and generally spoke in a manner that was borderline rude, despite occasional comments from her grandfather. She attended public school and was in class with one of Shuu's siblings. She was an average fighter for her age, but didn't hold the same adoration for the dojo that she did for her brother. It seemed to Touma that she was only there because Seiji was.

The meal was delicious and Touma tried not to devour his plate in his attempt to shovel food into his mouth quicker. He was listening in, enjoying his plateful of home-cooked food, as Yayoi offered to beat up the kid at school that had caused Satsuki some distress, when it finally hit him. He knew why Seiji had invited him here. He _got_ it. As tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, he excused himself to the bathroom which was kindly pointed out for him.

He closed the door and concentrated on not crying for it would be far too obvious if he went back out there and he couldn't handle their questions. It had been there for him the whole time to figure out. Seiji was going to lose his _family_ if he couldn't pass his courses. He'd known this logically. He'd known that Seiji would be put into foster care if Touma didn't help him because try as he might, Seiji's father would not know exactly what the teacher was looking for while Touma could tell Seiji without even going to class. Touma hadn't cared all this time because he hadn't known what having a family meant. Seiji had shown him, had somehow known how to show him. Seiji's family wasn't perfect, and maybe Seiji's grandfather had gone about things in the wrong way, but social services were trying to take away Seiji's _family_. For the first time in so many years, Touma understood that word again. And this time, he couldn't help the tears that slid down his cheeks.

.o0o.


End file.
